


What Would You Do?

by its_me_that_writes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18839497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_me_that_writes/pseuds/its_me_that_writes
Summary: Keith didn’t even like the idea of going up against Zarkon in his stronghold in the first place. Sure, they got Allura back, but their battle with Zarkon felt like they were getting played almost every step of the way.They didn’t even win. All they managed to do is get beat up. It was a disaster. They almost lost the Black Lion, learned Zarkon has the black bayard, and barely managed to escape through a sabotaged wormhole....and now.Now, they are missing a member of their team and one of the lions. It’s been almost a week, and there’s still no sign of Lance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a canon-divergent fic set directly after Voltron's first battle with Zarkon.
> 
> This fic was inspired by this image here: [ First Kiss ](https://pbeltarts.tumblr.com/post/184704580625/klancey-may-prompt-3-first-kiss)

**Lance**  
“What just happened!?” Hunk is shouting at him as they tumble toward the edge of the wormhole.

“I don’t know, but we gotta stay together!” Lance shoots back, screaming as they hit the edge of the wormhole.

Suddenly, they’re in what looks like a smaller wormhole hurtling towards an unknown destination. Lance feels his head bash against the headrest as the Blue Lion crashes into the Yellow Lion, sending them careening apart. 

Lance loses sight of Hunk and everything else as he is thrown out of the wormhole and his vision darkens to black.

 

 **Keith**  
Something is seriously wrong.

Keith feels like there’s a knot in his stomach and an ache in his chest. Not all of them made it back to the castle. Nausea roils in his gut.

Keith didn’t even like the idea of going up against Zarkon in his stronghold in the first place. Sure, they got Allura back, but their battle with Zarkon felt like they were getting played almost every step of the way.

They didn’t even win. All they managed to do is get beat up. It was a disaster. They almost lost the Black Lion, learned Zarkon has the black bayard, and barely managed to escape through a sabotaged wormhole.

...and now.

Now, they are missing a member of their team _and_ one of the lions. It’s been almost a week, and there’s still no sign of Lance.

Keith feels the dread build in his chest. He’s felt like this for days. It started even before they went through that wormhole, and it got worse when they were sent flying in a literal spiral through space. It’s only continued to build since.

It took two days to for Allura, Coran, and Pidge to find him and Shiro. Keith was grateful it wasn’t longer. Shiro was injured from a fight with Haggar and Keith was already tired of eating Altean rations.

They found Hunk half a day after that. He had landed on a water planet and apparently saved a race of mer-people from a large mer-eating snake, or something. Hunk told the story in full detail, but Keith was only half paying attention.

Before he had fallen out of the wormhole he had seen the Yellow and Blue Lions falling in the same direction, just like he and Shiro did. Keith had just assumed they would have ended up in the same place, just like he and Shiro did. But...

“What happened to Lance? I thought you were both falling out of the wormhole in the same direction?” Keith had finally asked when it seemed like Hunk had finished his anecdote.

“I don’t know, man. We were. He said we needed to stay together, but then his lion hit mine and I don’t know what happened.” Hunk had explained, clearly worried. “The next thing I knew I was sinking to the bottom of the ocean and Lance wasn’t there.”

Everyone had looked at each other nervously.

“Well, he couldn’t have landed that far from you. We should search the nearby planets and systems. Maybe his lion is still down.” Pidge had reasoned.

“I don’t know if that’s necessarily the case.” Allura had chimed in, worry lacing her voice. “We’ve scanned for the Blue Lion nearby, but haven’t picked anything up… You all fell through a _temporal_ rift. We were extremely lucky that you all managed to stay in our current time. It’s possible…” she had drifted off.

“What are you saying?” Hunk had asked, looking like he might be physically ill.

“She’s saying that Lance might have come out of the wormhole in a different time.” Pidge had explained, horror etched on her face. “He could have phased through time, either past or future, when he left the wormhole. He could be days, weeks, years off from us…”

Everything had been quiet for a while, the dread building. Keith had finally snapped, shouting what everyone must have been thinking:

“So he could be gone! The Blue Lion could be lost for years and we won’t ever be able to form Voltron again! We could have just destroyed the universe’s only hope! I told you going to Zarkon’s central command was a bad idea!”

“Alright, Keith! We get it. But that doesn’t change anything now.” Shiro had cut in, interrupting Keith’s frustrated rant. “We need to figure out a way to predict where Lance might have ended up. Pidge, do you think you can try to figure that out?”

“Uh, well, I can try. But the data is limited as a result of the energy that Haggar hit us with, and the sensors being down at the time…” Pidge had said, sounding doubtful. Her tone had only made Keith feel more irritated. “I’ll try, though.” She had reassured upon seeing everyone looking at her expectantly.

She’s been working on equations for three days; the same three days that Keith has been replaying that conversation, over and over, in his mind.

— — —

They’ve been lucky so far. It seems that Zarkon has been taking some time to recover and rebuild from the little bit of damage that Voltron was able to inflict. But still, they can’t be this lucky for too much longer. Zarkon will come looking for them eventually.

It’s hard to imagine Lance being literally nowhere right now. Not dead, but… not existing. Being nowhere in the universe. Keith refuses to accept the other possibility: the possibility that Lance may have emerged in the past and may actually be dead.

 _That can’t be what happened._ Keith reasons. _Surely the castle would have detected the Blue Lion if that were the case… unless the Blue Lion is now stuck in a loop. Is that even possible?? Could Lance go back in time and die in the past only to find the Blue Lion in the future and live the same cycle over and over?_

Keith needs to stop thinking about this. He feels like he’s had a headache ever since this all started. He makes a mental note to ask Pidge some questions later.

For now, Keith finds himself standing in front of the door to the simulation room. It’s the third time he’s been here.

The first time, he only made it this far. He stopped at the door, shook his head at how ridiculous he was being, and walked away.

The second time, he made it inside. He made it all the way to the point of calling up Lance’s image. He made it that far before his frustration at how stupid this all was overcame him, and he stormed out.

Now he’s just standing here, in front of the door, trying to convince himself that this idea isn’t as ridiculous as it seems. _If he could just talk to Lance…_

Keith would be lying if he said he hadn’t noticed Lance at the Garrison, but he’d also be lying if he said he paid a lot of attention to Lance.

Lance was a pretty good pilot. Keith _had_ noticed his reckless tactics and flashy maneuvers. He always seemed a little too cocky and loud to Keith, though. Not the kind of person Keith thought he could be friends with.

And sure, Keith may have also noticed how Lance seemed to compete with him, how Lance was always trying to bait him into competition… but Keith just figured that was how Lance was. He was a competitive guy, a class clown, a show-off. The kind of guy that Keith could appreciate as skilled (and fairly attractive, if Keith is being honest), but the kind of guy that Keith could ultimately write off and ignore.

But then all this Voltron stuff happened and he found himself forced to spend more time with Lance. He found himself forced to spend more time with all of them. The proximity and the need to interact in a cooperative way has made Keith re-evaluate some of his earlier assumptions.

So far, he’d learned that Pidge was _way_ smarter than her appearance let on. He’d learned that Hunk could really connect with people, even if he seemed perpetually scared. He’d learned that Coran and Allura can be really confusing, but also really informative. And he’d learned that Lance’s unorthodox way of approaching things has saved the day on more than one occasion.

That’s why he’s here.

If he could just _talk_ to Lance, maybe they could work out a way to find him. It sounds ridiculous. Keith _knows_ it sounds ridiculous, but it’s actually possible.

Keith makes another mental note to thank Pidge. This is only possible because of her. When they were repairing the memory storage system after Sendak, Pidge had suggested that they each have their memories copied into the system (and regularly updated).

Her reasoning was that if one of them were captured or injured, Voltron would still have access to potentially vital information.

Keith had considered it a major violation of privacy; and they had all agreed that they wouldn’t explore each other’s memories unless it was absolutely necessary. But now…

Keith is still pretty sure that it might be a major violation of privacy, but if there’s any way Lance’s mind could help give some insight into how to find him, it’s gotta be worth it, right?

Keith takes a deep breath and steps through the door. He calls up Lance’s simulation.

It takes a few seconds for Simulation Lance to fully initialize. Keith feels his unease and frustration start to grow. Then Lance notices him.

“Keith.” Simulation Lance says with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Keith**  
It’s been over two weeks since their battle with Zarkon, almost three. Keith feels like everything they do is useless. Lance is still gone. They still can’t form Voltron. There are no leads.

Pidge has been working tirelessly, and although Keith didn’t realize it at first, Hunk has been helping her. Allura and Coran scan for the Blue Lion daily, and Shiro helps where he can.

Keith feels useless. He spends his time on the training deck, and even though he knows he shouldn’t, he spends a fair amount of time in the simulation room.

Training has always helped Keith to blow off steam and work through his frustrations. It’s a staple in his life and he doesn’t think that will ever change. But talking with Lance ( _Simulation Lance_ ) and working through ideas with him… well, that’s become a regular part of his routine too.

Keith knows it’s not actually Lance. _Lance doesn’t exist. Does he? Not really, right? That’s what Pidge said. ‘If he was thrown into the future, then he doesn’t currently exist.’_ Keith’s head hurts.

What she didn’t say was that if Lance was thrown into the past and died, then he still wouldn’t exist now. Temporal mechanics is something Keith never wishes to truly understand.

Keith knows Simulation Lance is not actually Lance. Simulation Lance is less guarded and more actively curious. He’s so similar to real Lance, but also different in subtle little ways that Keith finds intriguing.

Keith wonders if real Lance would be like that if he could relax. Keith is beginning to suspect that Lance has been tense ever since they left Earth.

Keith can’t fault him for that.

The door to the simulation room swishes open and Keith steps inside. He smiles when Simulation Lance finally notices him.

“Hello, Keith.” Simulation Lance says.

“Hello, again.” Keith responds softly.

Keith really shouldn’t spend so much time here. He knows he shouldn’t. But he’s learning so much about Lance.

He tries to avoid any questions or details that would be considered too personal, things that he thinks Lance would want to keep or share on his own.

Even so, his conversations with Lance are almost… intimately friendly. _Simulation Lance._

Keith has already posed hypothetical questions about what Lance would do if he found himself stranded in the past or the future. The answers were fairly vague and unhelpful.

“It would depend on how far in the past.” Lance had responded. He said something similar about the future.

“I suppose I would look for supplies, and allies.” Lance had also said. That was relatively illuminating. Keith had suspected as much, he would do the same, any of them would.

“I guess I would try to help wherever I could.” Lance had responded to a question about what he would do to pass the time. That one was the most illuminating.

Keith had asked several other questions, sometimes posing the same questions in different ways to see if he could get a different response. There was one question he had been avoiding, though. One question he hadn’t asked because he didn’t want to think about the implications of it.

“What would you do,” Keith starts, “if you were captured by the Galra? If Blue was out of commission and there was no way we could know where you were, or get to you?” Keith finishes his question hesitantly.

Lance’s eyes look sad as he studies Keith for a second.

“I would fight until there was no way I could fight anymore. I would fight until my last breath, and I would go down swinging.” Lance says, steadily, resolutely.

Keith feels a prickling in his eyes.

“Right.” Keith says. Then he turns around and walks out.

— — —

Two more days pass, then three. At four days, Keith finally gives in. He finds himself back at the door to the simulation room. He has questions.

“If you were stranded away from us, would you try to find us?” Keith asks.

“Of course.” Lance responds immediately, a bit incredulously.

Keith shakes his head.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant… I guess I meant… what would you do? How would you try to find us?”

“I guess I would scan for you guys.”

“What if Blue was not operational?”

“Like if Blue got damaged?”

“Yeah.”

“I guess… I guess I would try to fix Blue enough to be able to scan. I don’t know much about the lions, Pidge would know way better than me, but… I would try.”

“And if you couldn’t fix Blue?”

Lance sighs heavily.

“I guess I would try to find someone who could.” He says, then shrugs like it’s not a serious question.

Keith refuses to think about Lance being stranded in open space with a deactivated lion and no one around to help. He refuses to think about how long Lance could survive like that. He won’t even consider it (even though a traitorous part of his brain knows it’s a possibility).

Keith decides to switch gears.

“If _I_ were lost, and you were the only one who could find me, how would you do it?”

Keith had asked this question before, in different ways, but never so specifically.

Lance cocks his head to the side like he’s thinking and purses his lips. _It’s oddly endearing._

“You’re fairly stubborn.” Lance states.

Keith furrows his eyebrows.

“You’d probably be trying to fight your way out of that kind of situation, maybe even leave your lion…” Lance muses.

“Would you leave your lion?” Keith asks, interrupting Lance’s verbal thinking.

“Maybe. If I really needed to for some reason.” Lance responds.

Keith considers this for a second, but is drawn back by Lance’s continued musings.

“I guess I would try to find your suit signal first, if I could. Who knows how far you might get from Red. I would probably try to get Pidge to help me with that… but you said just me, so…”

Keith knows Pidge and Allura have attempted to locate Lance by trying to find the signal in his suit. It’s a good idea. They haven’t found anything yet.

“I might try to see if Blue could find you, or at least find Red… I’m sure Red could find you even if you got separated.”

Keith looks back up at Lance at that. He’d never mentioned that particular idea before.

“How would that help?” Keith asked.

“Our lions are connected, right? I figure that connection has a greater range than any scanner. Plus, I’d have to imagine Blue would want to find Red as much as I’d want to find you.” Lance shrugs.

Keith feels butterflies start in his stomach and he promptly pushes them back down. Now is not the time for something so ridiculous. He’s probably just reading into it anyway.

“That’s a good idea, Lance. I need to go now, I’ll catch up with you later.”

Keith doesn’t know why he says that. It’s just a simulation of Lance. It’s not like he’s passing the time in some way and needs reassurances that Keith with come talk to him again. It’s not like he’ll get lonely. ...but maybe sometimes it’s difficult to remember that.

— — —

Keith finds Pidge in the kitchen with Hunk. They must be taking a lunch break. Or is it dinner? Midnight snack? Keith has lost track of what time it is.

They both look up at him as he enters.

They look tired. Pidge looks like she might end up with permanent bags under her eyes. Hunk is hunched over a plate of… something.

“Hey.” Keith greets.

He’s met with muttered and mumbled responses.

Well, he might as well cut straight to the point. Keith hates useless small talk. Thankfully, from what he’s learned about his fellow paladins so far (and what his conversations with Lance have confirmed), Pidge doesn’t care for small talk either. And Hunk won’t mind.

“Do you guys think…” Keith begins carefully as he finds some food for himself, “that we might be able to use ours lions’ connection to each other to help find Lance?”

Pidge and Hunk glance at each other.

Keith waits. He’s learned a lot about them from his conversations with Lance, a lot more than he might have learned on his own. _Lance shares about them like an open book. ...Simulation Lance._ Keith reminds himself.

“I’ve tried hooking up my lion to the castle’s sensors to do just that, but so far…” Pidge responds. The way she trails off makes Keith’s stomach drop.

“Right.” He says.

“We’re trying everything we can, buddy. I know you’re concerned about being able to form Voltron.” Hunk says and looks at him sadly.

Keith bristles at that. Sure he’s concerned about Voltron, but he’s also concerned about Lance. _They know that, right?_

“Yeah. Well, let me know if there is anything I can do.” Keith says as he turns and leaves the room.

Keith wonders what Lance would share about him.

— — —

“Zarkon said I fight like a Galra.” Keith mentions to Lance. _To Simulation Lance._

Keith isn’t sure why he’s sharing this with Lance. Maybe it’s because this version of Lance is so receptive to his presence and his conversation. This version of Lance still jokes at Keith’s expense, but it’s more friendly than it is antagonistic.

_Real Lance would probably never behave like this._

Keith feels a pang of guilt at that. It’s wrong, but Keith thinks he might prefer Simulation Lance over real Lance… It’s definitely wrong, right? Either way, Keith feels guilty about it.

“Keith?” Simulation Lance asks.

“Huh?” Keith forces himself back into the moment.

“When did he say that?”

“During our battle.”

“What battle?”

Keith furrows his brows in confusion for a moment. _Oh, right. Simulation Lance wouldn’t remember the battle. His memories haven’t been updated._

“We had a battle with Zarkon recently.” Keith explains. “I fought him one-on-one at one point and he told me I fight like a Galra during that battle.”

“Did it bother you? That he said that?” Lance asks.

That is not what Keith expected Lance to say.

“I don’t know…”

Lance looks at him kindly, knowingly, with his head slightly tilted. _Damn, how does he do that? How does he just know?_

“I guess a little.” Keith concedes.

“The Galra are fierce fighters, Keith. They’re strong and resilient. Plus, they can be a little impulsive…” Lance trails off with a smirk.

“What are you saying!?” Keith scoffs, but he can’t help the smile that’s starting to tug on his lips.

“I’m saying that the Galra have some good qualities. If they weren’t our enemies, they’d make great allies.”

Keith hums in response, unsure.

“Sure, it’s hard to know for certain if we could trust any of them, given their current track record. Any Galra ally would have to prove themselves, but I wouldn’t necessarily rule out the possibility.” Lance continues, then studies him for a moment. When he continues again, his tone is soft, almost comforting. “Maybe Zarkon was giving you a compliment, or maybe he was trying to shake you. Does it really matter what he says?”

Keith thinks about that for a bit before looking up at Lance, who is just waiting patiently. Once again, Keith is struck by just how different this version of Lance compares to his understanding of real Lance. _It makes his heart sink._

“I guess not,” Keith concludes, “but it’s stuck with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being a fierce fighter, Keith. We need someone like you on the team. Someone who can make bold decisions and take brave actions.”

“You do the same thing.” Keith chuckles.

“I’m make stupid decisions. It’s not quite the same thing.”

Keith hesitates at that. _At least he’s admitting it… but,_

“You have some really good ideas, Lance. You can come up with ideas that the rest of us wouldn’t even think about.” _Why is he trying comfort a simulation…_

Keith feels that ball of frustration start to grow.

“Look, I have to go.” Keith says and walks out of the simulation room, but not before he catches what he thinks might be a blush on Lance’s cheeks.

_Simulation Lance. Can simulations even blush?_

Keith makes his way to the training deck. He has some questions for Coran, but he needs to work through some of this frustration first.

It’s just… he feels ridiculous. This is all ridiculous!

The tension and apprehension that he felt when hearing Lance talk down about himself is ridiculous! The flutter of butterflies in his stomach at Lance’s comfort is ridiculous! The swelling, warm feeling in his chest at what _might_ have been a blush is ridiculous! _He’s not even real! Right?!_

_It’s all just so ridiculous! Keith thinks as he slices through training bots. Maybe he says ‘ridiculous’ too much..._

Keith has just started level three of the training sequence when Shiro walks in. Keith catches sight of him out of the corner of his eye and groans inwardly. If Shiro has sought him out, it’s probably for a ‘talk’.

_Great._

Shiro just watches as Keith battles with the training bot, leaning stoically against the wall with his arms crossed. Keith falls to the ground after a defensive maneuver and ends the training sequence.

He looks over at Shiro.

“You doing alright?” Shiro asks, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, why?”

“You just seem a bit more broody than normal lately.” Shiro responds, nonchalantly.

“I am not broody!” Keith shoots back, indignance written on his face and lacing his voice.

“Alright.”

Keith glares at him, trying to will the smirk off of Shiro’s face.

“What do you want, Shiro?”

“I want to make sure you’re okay. You can talk to me, you know. This whole thing has been hard on all of us. You’re the only one who doesn’t really seem willing to talk about it.”

“I can talk about it. Lance is gone, the Blue Lion is gone, and we don’t know when or if we’ll ever find them again. See? I can talk about it.”

“Keith,” Shiro starts.

“What?” Keith says, his frustration flaring again.

“Nothing.” Shiro says calmly as he turns to leave. “If you want to talk about it with anything more than a rehearsed response, I’m here.”

And then he’s gone. He’s left the training room, and he’s left Keith feeling just as frustrated as he was to start with.

Keith calls up the training sequence again and gets to work.

— — —

Keith is hot and sweaty and tired when he finally leaves the training deck. He needs a shower and a change of clothes before he finds Coran.

He doesn’t make it to finding Coran. He passes out on his bed: half dressed, freshly showered, and fully exhausted.

— — —

He tracks Coran down after breakfast. Keith mostly eats alone, only interrupted by Hunk stopping in to grab some food to go.

Keith finds Coran in the control room. He’s concentrating on a map of some quadrant, muttering to himself. Keith notices the tell-tale dots that represent Galra forces.

“Hey, Coran. What are you working on?” Keith greets him.

“Oh, hello, Keith! Just the usual. Tracking Galra movements and looking for any sign of Lance or the Blue Lion.”

“Any luck?”

“Not yet.” Coran sounds sad and tired as he says it.

“Can I ask you… about the memory simulations?”

“Of course, Keith! What do you want to know?”

“Are they accurate representations of us? Like, if we call up a simulation of one of us, how close to the real person is it going to be?”

“Well, the simulations use the subject’s memories to create a responsive recreation of that person. That being said, there are some differences.”

“Like what?”

“The simulations aren’t inhibited by the same things we are. Essentially, the simulations will react how we would if our reactions were always our first impulse. The simulations don’t stop themselves from saying something based on social cues or ‘thinking better of it’ as you would say. They just say they first thing that is natural for that person.”

Keith takes a moment to turn that over in his mind.

“Can the simulations react… physically?”

“Physically?” Coran asks, giving Keith a puzzled expression. “You can’t touch them, if that’s what you mean. They’re just light, after all.”

“Could a simulation… blush?” Keith asks, trying to hide a blush himself.

“I suppose one could, if that is how the real individual would react. Why do ask?”

“No reason. Just… curious, I guess.”

“Alright, then.” Coran responds, but he sounds doubtful. “Any other questions?”

“Uh… no, I think I’m good. Thanks, Coran.”

Coran just hums and goes back to studying the map that’s displayed.

If the simulations represent a person’s first uninhibited response, then… maybe Simulation Lance isn’t really that different from real Lance. Maybe real Lance just holds himself back a lot.

The implications of that make Keith’s head spin a bit. _He wishes real Lance was here._

— — —

Keith hasn’t even thought about entering Lance’s room. It seems like even more of a violation of privacy than talking to Simulation Lance. Which is… _what’s a synonym for ridiculous? … crazy? Whatever, it doesn't matter._

What could he possibly learn from Lance’s room that would be more private than what he could learn from Lance’s memories… but still, it _is_ his room. All of his stuff is in there. His clothes and… whatever else Lance keeps in his room.

Keith shouldn’t go in. So why is he still standing here in front of Lance’s door?

Lance’s room holds real things, real representations of real Lance. Maybe that’s why he’s still standing here… because real items and real things are more than Simulation Lance…

It still doesn’t feel right. Keith shouldn’t be letting his impulses take control of him. For once, he should try everything he can to control them.

Besides, there’s no actual proof that real Lance could ever feel what Keith has been starting to feel. That he could view Keith in the way Keith has been starting to view Lance, even before their disastrous battle with Zarkon. There’s just some moments with Simulation Lance that Keith is sure he’s reading into.

At that, Keith wrangles his impulses under control and walks away from Lance’s door in search of Shiro.

He finds Shiro in the Black Lion’s hangar. He’s just standing there, staring up at it.

“You okay, Shiro?” Keith asks apprehensively.

“Yeah. Pidge had mentioned a question you had about using the lions to locate each other. I was just thinking about it.”

Keith ducks his head and tries not to blush.

“It’s a good idea, Keith. What made you think of it?”

Keith hesitates, unsure how he should answer. No one really knows that he’s been going to visit Lance. Simulation Lance. Would Shiro be disappointed in him for it?

“Uh…” Keith stalls, rubbing the back of his neck. He decides to just say it. “Actually, it was Lance’s idea.”

“Lance?”

“Yeah. Well, Simulation Lance.”

“Oh.”

Keith feels the guilt grow again.

“That’s actually pretty smart, Keith. Lance can sometimes have some out-of-the-box ideas.”

“Yeah.” Keith says, feeling a little bit better.

“It’s unfortunate that the lions’ connection only works if the Blue Lion is present.”

“You don’t think their connection can cross time?” Keith asks.

The question is so sudden that it startles Keith. He’s not even sure why he said it. He hasn’t even given the idea much thought since Lance first suggested it and he asked Pidge about it. Now, it’s like he’s making assumptions… _maybe Lance is starting to rub off on him._

Shiro hums, considering what Keith said.

“I guess we’ll never know unless we try. We can ask Allura, too.” Shiro finally says, smiling a Keith.

And Keith can’t ignore the pride that wells up in his chest at Shiro’s approval.

— — —

“It _might_ be possible, but if it is, it would require a strong connection to your lion,” was Allura’s conclusive response to their question.

They each takes turns trying to connect to their lions and reach out to Blue, but so far they’ve had no success.

Keith keeps trying, though. Every day. And with every day that passes, Keith finds himself longing to see real Lance more and more.

_He has to be out there somewhere._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Keith**  
It’s two months since their battle with Zarkon before the Galra finally find them. It’s a tough battle, but they manage. Shiro and Hunk come back injured and need to spend a night in the healing pods.

Coran and Allura need to keep moving the castle around to escape possible detection, which takes away from their time searching for Lance. Keith is spending more and more time in his lion. Just trying to bond with Red.

Allura said a strong bond was necessary to fully utilize the lion’s connection to each other, so he’s trying.

Keith feels like he practically lives in his lion these days.

He still visits Lance, when he wants to talk to someone… but he only talks about the castle’s day to day activities. It feels hollow. It’s definitely not what Keith wants, but he’s controlling himself. _Simulation Lance is not real Lance._

It doesn’t stop Keith from blushing when Simulation Lance says something sweet; and it doesn’t stop him from seeing what things might make _Lance_ blush. Real Lance will never know. And Keith is behaving himself, anyways. Nothing too suggestive. That would definitely be crossing a line.

He did cross one line, though… He went into Lance’s room.

It’s still burned into his memory.

He just stood there and took everything in. He only moved to get a closer look at a few things, but he didn’t touch anything. He couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right.

Lance has a lot of clothes. Which is funny, considering he seems to wear the same one outfit most of the time. He seems to have multiples of the same jeans and shirts. And he has an extensive collection of pajamas. And two pairs of lion slippers. The only item of clothing he seems to have just one of is his jacket. _Go figure._

He has a whole collection of skin care products. Keith isn’t even sure where he got all of that stuff. His room makes Keith’s look bleak by comparison.

Lance also seems to have knick-knacks scattered around his room. They look like things he’s collected from the various planets they’ve visited. Some of them might even be gifts.

Everything in Lance’s room in mostly tidy. His bed is still unmade and the pajamas he had worn before the battle are lying over the foot of it. His drawers aren’t shut all the way, but the clothes inside are folded and organized. Even his knick-knacks seem to follow some sort of order.

The whole memory makes his chest ache.

Keith feels like his world is falling apart. _How did this happen?_

— — —

It takes another half a month for Keith to build his connection with Red enough that he can feel the other lions in the castle. He’s exhausted at the end of each day. _Red requires a lot of effort._ Keith thinks begrudgingly. Not that he’s complaining.

Keith has worked almost nonstop on his connection with Red, even when the others let their own efforts dwindle. The only days when he didn’t work as hard as he wanted to, were the days when they had skirmishes with the Galra.

During one of those times they even managed to board a Galra cruiser and Pidge downloaded what she could about Galra prisoners. She scoured the data for days afterward, looking for both evidence of Lance and her family. Fortunately or not, they didn’t find anything about Lance or the Blue Lion. They didn’t find any evidence of Pidge’s family, either.

Suffice it to say, the overall mood in the castle is poor. Morale is at an all-time low. The only thing Keith can think to do that might help is continue to look for Lance.

So he does.

Keith spends every day working with Red and reaching out to find Blue. He tries everything that he can think of. He pushes himself to the brink of exhaustion and beyond. So much so, that he needs to be put in the healing pod for a night.

He gets a stern lecture from Shiro after that. Shiro makes him promise to take breaks and get regular rest. Something Keith agrees to, albeit reluctantly.

It’s difficult, though. It’s been almost three months now since that awful battle with Zarkon, and Keith is starting to lose what little hope he’s had.

— — —

**Lance**  
Lance opens his eyes to darkness. His head is killing him. Blue’s displays are down and her controls are unresponsive.

Lance tries to concentrate.

“Hello? Guys?” Lance tries on the comms. He gets nothing but dead sound.

The comms must be down.

Lance fights against the headache that’s only growing and pulls off his helmet. He reaches back and touches his head. No blood, but it’s tender. He must have hit it pretty hard, if his headache and general confusion are any indication.

He can barely feel his connection to Blue. She must be severely damaged.

That’s only one of his concerns… 

Lance has no idea where he is.

He slips his helmet back on and activates the space mode. He then makes his way to the airlock.

He has to manually open it once he gets there. _This is bad. Blue has never been this damaged before._ Has never been so damaged that he has to use the manual levers to operate emergency functions. He needs to survey the damage, and he needs to find out where he is.

With Blue disabled the way she is, his only option is to venture outside. It’s a good way to check the damage too. The only problem is, Lance has no idea what he might be venturing into.

Lance gets no readings from the outside before he pulls the manual release and opens the hatch. He breathes a sigh of relief when he see stars. _At least it’s not lava._ Lance thinks.

Lance feels himself start to float. _No gravity. Must be in space._ He activates his jet pack and floats gently out.

Blue is in bad shape. Lance isn’t even sure what could have caused all this damage. He looks around a bit. They’re in open space. No planets nearby that he can see. But there is what looks like an asteroid field, or maybe the remains of a dead planet.

If he crashed through that… that would be enough to cause this damage. Especially if Blue was already having power issues.

_Crap._ Lance thinks. _He’s gonna have to try to repair some things._

— — —

Lance tries his best, but he really doesn’t know enough about the lions’ systems to go poking around too much. He manages to get emergency lights and a grainy display back.

It’s been two days, and he still isn't sure where he is. All of Blue’s sensors are down. The comms seem to be unrepairable, at least for him. And he’s finding that he hates Altean rations more than he hates the castle’s food goo.

Man, what he wouldn’t give to see Hunk and taste his amazing cooking again. Or Pidge, and have her incredible tech skills to help him fix his lion.

He wouldn’t even mind seeing Keith. He always seems so bristly and mean, but Lance is pretty sure he’s just awkward. It must be hard for a guy who lived in a shack to connect with people he’s been forced to live with.

It’s not like Keith doesn’t know how to have fun. Keith can be plenty fun if he wants to be. He can joke and laugh and have a good time. You just need to know how to connect with him, that’s all.

Lance would love some company right about now.

He’s still thinking of the team when he drifts off to sleep. When he wakes up he swears he dreamt about them, too. He has this vivid dream of Keith flying Red burned into is mind. He can’t quite seem to shake it.

 

**Keith**  
Keith stands in the hangar, staring up at Red and trying to will himself into her cockpit. At this point, should he really even try anymore? Who knows how long it could take for Lance to reappear, if he even does at all.

Pidge hasn’t been able to predict anything about where he might have ended up, and scans continue to reveal nothing. Is it even worth it to try?

Keith can feel Red watching him. He sighs and decides to try, at least for one more day. Red lowers her head and allows Keith to enter.

He sits down in the pilot’s chair and reaches out to Red. She can feel his reluctance and his apprehension. He knows she can. He can feel her trying to soothe him.

He sits there for a while, just listening to her, when his thoughts start to drift.

He thinks about all the effort they’ve put in so far to find Lance with nothing to show for it. He thinks about all the time he’s spent with Simulation Lance and all the things they’ve talked about.

He thinks about how he's really started to develop feelings for Lance. He might even go so far as to call it a crush. Keith blushes a bit at that and he feels Red’s amusement.

He thinks about how it doesn’t really matter, because Lance might never come back. They might never find him. But then his thoughts drift back to everything he’s learned to appreciate about Lance.

Lance’s smile. The way he tilts his head when he’s thinking, or when he’s being cheeky. The way his eyes seem to glitter when he’s joking. And just like that, it’s like he can see Lance. It’s like he can feel him.

There’s a spark. A brief connection. It’s like a flash of light exploding in his head. Distantly he hears Red roar. But Keith is still stuck on the feeling of Lance, _and Blue_ he realizes, on the other end of that connection.

It takes him a moment, and then his blood runs cold.

If he could feel Lance, that must mean…

Suddenly, Shiro and Pidge and rushing into the cockpit.

“Are you okay!?” Shiro asks, concern clearly evident in his voice.

“Oh my god.” Pidge says as she takes in Red’s display. “Lance.”

Keith turns to see what she is looking at. Coordinates for the Blue Lion are clearly displayed on Red’s dash.

“You did it, Keith.” Shiro says, almost in awe.

“Yeah.” Keith replies weakly.

He still feels like he’s been dunked in ice water.

— — —

They run into Hunk on their way out of the hangar. He’s saying something about how the castle’s sensors suddenly went wild and how they suddenly picked up Blue’s coordinates.

Hunk is practically buzzing with nervous energy. They all are. All except Keith.

As they make their way toward the control room, the castle already in motion, Keith drags behind and breaks off. None of them seem to notice.

He finds himself standing in front of Lance’s bedroom door. He steps inside.

That pool of icy dread keeps growing in his gut and he doesn’t check himself as he grabs Lance’s jacket and slips it on.

He feels like he’s in a daze as he walks the hallways of the castle. He can’t stop his wandering thoughts.

Everything he experienced with Simulation Lance will have no impact on real Lance. What if real Lance is mad at him for even talking to Simulation Lance?

Keith has developed feelings for Lance, but Lance has no way of knowing that. Lance probably still thinks they’re enemies, or rivals, or whatever.

_Oh god._ He can’t tell Lance about how he feels. What if Lance wouldn’t even want to be friends, anymore? It’s been three months for Keith and things have changed so much for him, but he doubts it’s been that long for Lance. Nothing has changed for Lance.

Keith feels like his world is crumbling around him and like the ground is falling out from under his feet.

He finds himself on the observation deck and collapses onto one of the bench seats. He brings his feet up onto the bench and leans back against the wall.

He stares out at the stars and lets his thoughts, and the dread, consume him.

— — —

It’s been several hours. Keith is still lost in thought. The castle has stopped and moved and stopped again.

Lance must be back in the castle by now. Keith wonders distantly if he might have been injured. Maybe they put him in a healing pod. Keith can’t muster up the strength to go check. He just stays there, staring out the gallery windows.

He’s not sure how much more time has passed when the door to the observation deck swishes open.

Keith’s breath hitches when he sees Lance. _Real_ Lance, standing there in the doorway.

Lance takes him in. Keith feels his heartbeat ratchet up, beating so hard he swears it might come out of his chest. A little smile curves Lance’s lips.

“Miss me, huh?” He says. All cockiness and mockery.

“There was no one around to annoy me anymore.” Keith shoots back, but it lacks the fire he’d intended it to have.

Lance’s smile grows a bit more.

“Is that why you’re wearing my jacket?”

“What?” Keith says, looking down and blushing as he remembers that he is, indeed, wearing Lance’s jacket.

Lance is full-on grinning now.

“Alright. Maybe I did miss you a little.” Keith concedes, looking back up.

Lance strides forward until he’s standing before Keith.

“Shiro said you were the one who found me.”

Keith feels like he can’t breathe.

“Thank you.” Lance says.

Keith turns his head and looks out into space, his face burning, but he says nothing.

Lance pushes Keith’s legs more towards the glass as he sits on the bench. So close that Keith feels like he’s on fire.

Keith’s leg is pressed against Lance’s side and Keith swears he might combust.

“The others said I’ve been gone for three months.” Lance mentions conversationally.

Keith hums in agreement.

“For me it was only a couple days.”

Keith looks at him then. Lance is sitting there with his face turned away from the glass and down towards the floor.

“I saw you, I think, when you found me. I thought it was a dream until the others told me what happened.” Lance says it so quietly it’s almost a whisper. “So, thank you. For trying when I know you didn’t have to.”

“We all helped, even you.” Keith says back to him, just as quietly.

“What do you mean?” Lance replies, looking up.

Keith feels himself blush.

“I asked your memory simulation what you would do if _I_ was lost. The idea about finding you with our lions came from you.”

“Oh.” Lance’s face flushes a brilliant shade of red. His dark skin darkening more. “You, uh, you talked to my memories, huh?”

“Yeah. I hope that’s ok.”

Lance’s face gets a little darker.

“It didn’t... say anything too weird, right?” Lance asks timidly, like he’s afraid of the answer.

“It said you thought Blue would want to find Red as much as you would want to find me, if I was lost.”

Lance doesn’t say anything in response, but he doesn’t seem upset. If anything, he seems painfully embarrassed.

“You have some really good ideas, Lance.” Keith assures him.

Lance’s turns his face a little further away and starts to fidget with his hands.

“Thanks,” he says, but it sounds choked.

“I think Simulation Lance and I got to be pretty good friends. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I want to lose that.”

Keith doesn’t know where all of this bravery is coming from. Maybe he’s afraid of having to go back to the way things were before. Maybe Lance really is rubbing off on him.

“Oh yeah?” Lance says, looking up. He’s smiling now, just barely.

“Yeah.” Keith says. He can’t seem to take his eyes off of Lance’s mouth, that smile. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind being more, someday, if I read things right…”

Lance’s eyes widen and his mouth falls open a bit. Keith feels like his heart is going to beat out of his chest, like his skin is too tight for his body. Lance is looking at him, his eyes bouncing between Keith’s mouth and his eyes. His expression is so open and vulnerable that Keith makes sure his face is the same.

Keith pours every bit of honesty and every ounce of fondness he’s developed for Lance into his expression. He knows it was the right decision when he hears a a choked whimper come from Lance’s throat, and then Lance is leaning into him.

Their lips meet and Keith feels like a million puzzle pieces are clicking into place. He feels like the world is melting away and he could stay in this moment forever. He wants to.

Lance pulls away and when Keith opens his eyes Lance is smiling at him. And all Keith can think is: _I’d definitely do that again._

“I think I’d like that, too.” Lance says, his cheeks still tinged pink. He’s still smiling and Keith smiles back.

It’s quiet for a while as they just watch each other.

“So, if I missed three months, does that mean I have to change my birthday?” Lance suddenly asks.

Keith laughs, shaking his head, and pulls Lance back in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I had so much fun writing this. I may even continue with this AU. We'll see.


End file.
